In 2017 GRAIN devised a new Residency with Creative People and Places agency Appetite, for a photographer to make new work with migrant communities in north Staffordshire.  Sam Ivin was awarded the Residency and created work with individuals in the community over a number of years.  Settling was a collaborative, community photography project and new community archive.     During 2017 and 2018 Sam led workshops and held meetings across the six towns with  individuals and community groups  to create a publicly accessible vernacular archive and a collection of participatory artworks.

The community archive was gifted to the city of Stoke on Trent and can be found in the city archives, providing the first archive there that featured people of colour, asylum seekers and migrants.

The contemporary portraits and community archive pictures went on to be exhibited in a largescale community space in the city centre during the annual community Big Feast Festival.   In 2018 he was supported to make further portraits and these were exhibited at the city Museum & Art Gallery in a major exhibition supported by a series of workshops.

Sam has continued to make work with communities in Stoke on Trent, building an important legacy for the initial relationships and work.